Facing machine



Aug. 15, 1939;. J. M. KIRCHBERG FACING MACHINE Filed Aug. 13, 1938 -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 EEESEEESSQEEEEECSSEQESSEEE HHH Aug. 15, 1939.

J M. KIRCHBERG FACING MACHINE Filed Aug. 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 15, 1939 Q V UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE V FACING MACHINE James M. Kirchberg, New Orleans, La. Application August 13, 1938, serial No. 224,801 9 Claims. (01. 51 1o0) This invention relat s to improvements in illustrating the lay which the machine is adapted facing machines, especially of the type used in to face.

conjunction with shaping the lay of the mouthgure 3 s a sectional w Of t o t -P e piece for a musical wind instrument. Mcuthh denpa ts being s wn n va i n. pieces, such as are herein contemplated, are cur- Figure 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 5 rently used on saxophones, clarinets and similar of Fig. 3. musical wind instruments. The so-called lay Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the line comprises the seat portion of the mouth-piece 55 of Fig. 1.

over which the reed is clamped. It is common igure 6 is a p a w Of he m ch nepractice in modern orchestras to have an artist F gure 7is a cross section taken on the line 1-1 10 play a number of wind instruments in succession, of Fig. 1. v

and for a purpose such as this it is highly de- Figure 8 is a cross section taken on the line sirable, if not essential, to have each mouth-piece 8-8 of Fig. 6. in perfect accord. That is to say, to have the lays Figu es 9 and 10 are detailed views of the two of the mouth-pieces identically shaped so that screw shafts. 15 each reed will be in the precise relationship to Reference is first made to Fig. 2 which illusthe lay as is every other reed, thus enabling the trates a well known type of mouth-piece I. This player to blow into the instrumentwithout havmouth-piece is customarily made of Bakelite, aling to adapt himself to changed reed conditions though not necessarily so. The mouth-piece is, which would otherwise be present. obviously, hollow, as indicated at 2, the location 20 Another requirement which is currently made of the lay 3 in reference to the hollow interior by the players of musical wind instruments is, being such s o p e a win p nin 4. The that of several mouth-pieces for a single instruay 3 extends from the base 5 of the mouth-piece ment, each with slightly different curve chara to the tip 6. Its purpose is to provide a seat for teristics of the respective lays, so that different a reed t the latter su y being 25 musical efiects can be gotten because of they clamped to the heavy P O t m -P ece S0 variations that will be had in the relative posi-v that the reed is left free to vibrate in reference tions of the reeds. t0 t tip A further requirement which is to be met is the e o o ng lay 3, s s c o a ve a n y working-in of minute variations of measurements at 7 in the region of the tip ,This Curve, 30 in t lay of a mouth-piece so as to Suit the though slight, is the involute of a circle, that is quirements of any particular artist. With these o Say, it is on a spi a Order rather n any statements in mind the objects of the invention P Of a true It is the P p e O th s ar s follow; machine to grind the lay 3 from base to tip and First, to provide a machine for" facing mouthin Order that y number of mouth-pieces I y 35 pieces for clarinets and saxophones with speed be identically Shaped, use is made of a p te and accuracy. e (Fig- Second, to provide for the adjustment of the s template ay comprise a stun of matetemplate relative to the mouth-piece position so rial of any u ab e kind, o example, hard wood,

40 that the length of the curvature of the so-called fiber, metal The template is fairly thick 40' la can be varied, thus enablin makin several (Fig Its top Side 9 is usually Straight but mzuthfpl-eces for one instrungent, i with the bottom side H] has a contour of the identical slightly difierent characteristics for the reed. $1 gf g i i i i gg fig 22 3332 21 gf fi Thlrd to provlqe'for the makmg i peifectly is greatly magnified. The magnification herein 45 matched mouthmleces for .Several wmd n adopted is 8'to 1 This enables the template 8 to ments so that the player l eachf m be shaped exactly as required, minute variations turn and have each mouth-mew m per 60 being readily worked into the contour side It becord. cause the latter is sufficiently large to be readily Other objects and advantages W111 appear in the seen by the Workman 50 ucwing pecification, reference being had to w the mouthmiece and t t t 3 in the accompa ng d a i in which: mind, the latter controlling the shaping of the "F e 1 is a Side elevatieh 0f the p e lay 3, reference is made to Fig. 1 for the details facing machine. of the machine employing these members. The

5%.. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a mouth-piece machine is generally designate d1 I. It comprises a bed I2 which has legs I3. A pair of bearings I4 on one side of the machine (Fig. 6) support a screw shaft I5 which has threads I6. Similarly a pair of bearings I1 on the other side of the machine support a screw shaft I8 which has threads I9. The character of the foregoing threads is illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. Square threads are preferred, as shown.

A standard 26 (Fig. 1) made integral with the bed I2, supports a hinge pin 2I on which a frame 22 is rockably mounted (Fig. 5). This frame is the common carrier of the mouth-piece I and template 8. The manner in which the mouthpiece I is carried is as follows: A holder generally designated 23 (Figs. 1 and 3) comprises a rod 24 which terminates in a down-turned clamp 25 (Fig. 4). The clamp is actuated by a screw 26. An expansion element 21, having a threaded base 28, nut 29 and stem 30 is held by the clamp 25. The stem 30 is inserted in the clamp whereupon the screw 26 is tightened After inserting the split element 21 into the mouth-piece I, the nut 29 is backed off enabling the expansion of the jaws. It isthus that the mouth-piece is rigidly held in position.

A compound rest, generally designated 3! (Figs. 1 and-.8) provides the mount for the mouth-piece holder 23. Said rest consists of an uprlghtslide 32 (Fig. 8) in one end of which the rod 24 is secured by the clamping device 33. The slide 32 is vertically adjustable by a screw 34 which has bearings at 35 in a horizontal slide 36. This slide is horizontally adjustable by a screw 3'! which has bearings at 38 (Figs. 1 and 6) in an upstanding collar 39 (Fig. 6) on the frame 22, of sufficient size to contain all moving parts of the compound rest 3I.

The manner in which the template 8 is-carried is as follows: The frame 22 which is fairly heavy at its hinge end (Fig. 6) tapers into a bar 48. This bar is enlarged to provide a pair of pendent plates 4I (Fig.7) which are spaced at 42 and have a series of bolts 43 to compose a clamp. The template 8 is inserted in the space 42, the straight side 9 being up. The bolts 43 are then screwed home to secure the template in place. Phe latter is adjustable both up and down and endwise prior to tightening the bolts 43, to dispose the contour side It] in any desired relationship to the ball end 44 of a feeler pin 45.

Mention of the grinding wheel 46 is made at this point in order to show that the top periphery thereof coincides with an axis 41 which passes through the center of the hinge pin 2| and touches the top of the ball 44. The adopted relationship of the contour side I8 to the axis 41, obtained by the adjustment of the template 8, is reproduced on a reduced scale of the mouth-piece I whereon the lay 3 will bear the same relationship to the axis. The adjustment of the template 8 is a matter of experiment and will be supplemented by suitable markings both on the template and on the clamp 4 I so that a given position of the expansion element 21 of the holder 23 will provide the operator with a reliable index as to the shape and position of the mouth-piece lay.

A pair of carriages 48, 49, is slidable on guide rods 50 (Figs. 7 and 8) of the bed I2. The carriages are held down by plates 5i. The carriage 48 has an arm 52 (Fig. 6) which terminates in a head 53 (Fig. 8) in engagement with the threads I6 of the shaft I5. Similarly the carriage 49 has an arm 54 (Fig. 6) terminating in a head 55 (Fig. 7) having engagement with the threads I9 of the shaft I8. The shaft I8 is driven by a pulley and belt arrangement 56, 51 (Fig. 1) from a reversible type electric motor 58.

The shaft I5 is driven from the shaft I8 by a gear train consisting of a pinion 59 on the shaft I8 with an idler 60 and a large gear 6| on the shaft I5. The ratio of the gears is such that the carriage 49 will be moved along the bed I2 eight times as fast as will the carriage 48, thus agreeing with the scale of magnification of the template 8 over the length of the lay 3.

The previously mentioned grinding wheel 46 is attached to a shaft 62 (Fig. 8) which is journaled in a bearing 63. This bearing has a stem 64 which is adjustable in a socket 65 so as to properly position the grinding wheel 46 in reference to i the axis 41. The grinding wheel is driven by a pulley and belt arrangement 66, 61, from a motor 68 affixed to the carriage 48.

The operation is readily understood. The amplitude of motion of the feeler pin 45 is designated by the boundary lines 69, I6 (Fig. 1). The distance between these lines is eight times the length of the lay 3 (Fig. 2) from the base 5 to the tip 6. The feeler pin 45 is to be regarded as traveling in the direction of the arrow (1, having started at the boundary line 69. Both carriages 49, 46, are traveling in the same direction. The carriage 49, however, travels eight times faster than the carriage 48.

Thus the zenith of the grinding wheel 46 will traverse the mouth-piece I from tip to base while the feeler pin 45 traverses the contour side II! from line 69 to line 10, The grinding wheel 46 is in operation, the result being a grinding of the mouth-piece to form the lay 3.

The latter is given a shape identical with the contour side I!) only on a reduced scale because of the fact that as the ball end 44 slides along the contour side III, the entire frame 22 will be rocked on its hinge pin 2|, being raised accordingly so that just enough material is ground off.

The forward motion (arrow a, Fig. 1) of the carriages 49, 48 is produced by one direction of rotation of the motor 58. When the feeler pin 45 reaches the line I0 the motor 58 will be reversed by any known type of reversing switch (not shown) so that the parts are transported to their starting positions. In conclusion it is desired to state that the designation of the wheel 46 as a grinding wheel is not to be regarded as a limitation. This term is uniformly used in this disclosure and in many instances will comprise an actual grinding wheel. But there are also instances in which the element 46 may and will consist of a milling cutter or any known cutting device which will perform the work satisfactorily.

I claim:

1. A facing machine comprising a mouth-piece holder, a grinding wheel to cut a lay upon a mouth-piece secured on the holder, a carriage for the grinding wheel, a template having a side contoured according to the shape to be given to the lay, a frame carrying the mouth-piece holder and template, means to move the carriage to advance the grinding wheel along the mouthpiece, and means traversing the contoured side of the template to simultaneously rock the frame.

2. A facing machine comprising a mouth-piece holder, a grinding wheel to cut a lay upon a mouth-piece secured on the holder, a carriage for the grinding wheel, a template having a side contoured on a magnified scale, with a shape to be given to the lay on a smallscale, a frame carrying the mouth-piece holder and template,

the mouth-piece I means to move the carriage to advance the grinding wheel from tip to base of the mouth-piece,

and means traversing the magnified contour of V the template to rock the frame during the same time period taken by the grinding wheel to traverse the mouth-piece.

3. A facing machine comprising a mouth-piece holder, a grinding wheel to cut a lay upon a.

' mouth-piece secured onthe holder, a pair of carriages, one of them having the grinding wheel mounted thereon, a template having a side contoured on a magnified scale with a shape to be given to the lay on a small scale, a frame carrying the mouth-piece holder and template, means on the other carriage to feel the template contour, and separate means to move the carriages at different speeds so that the grinding wheel and feeler means traverse the respective smallscale mouth-piece and magnified contour in the same time period, the action of the feeler means rocking the frame.

4. A facing machine comprising a mouth-piece holder, a grinding wheel to cut a lay upon a mouth-piece secured on the holder, a carriage for the grinding wheel, means to move the carriage to advance the grinding-wheel from tip to base of the mouth-piece, a template having a side contoured according to the wanted pro-file of the lay but on an enlarged scale, a frame carrying'the mouth-piece holder and the template, and means to traverse the template contour to rock the frame in the same time period as required for the grinding wheel to traverse the lay.

5. A facing machine comprising a mouthpiece holder, grinding means to cut a lay upon a mouth-piece securely carried by the holder, a movable carriage for the grinding Wheel, a template of large proportions relative to the size of the mouth-piece, connected to a. holder and having a side contoured to form a magnified pattern for the lay, feeler means to traverse the template to shift thev holder in respect to the grinding means, and means to simultaneously move the carriage and the feeler means at different rates respectively to the extent of the lay and to the extent of the magnified contour. of the template.

6. A facing machine comprising a bed, a pair of carriages movably guided upon the bed, a

feeler pin on one of the carriages, a revoluble grinding wheel on the other carriage, a frame hinged at one end upon the bed, a template attached to the other end of the frame, said template having a side bearing upon the feeler pin, and said side having a lay contour of magnified proportions, a holder carried by the frame having means to hold amouth-piece in contact with the grinding wheel, a pair of screw shafts journaled on the bed, means connecting the respective carriages to the screw shafts, and means to turn the screw shafts at different speeds so as to advance the feeler pin along the template in the same time period that the grinding wheel is. advanced along the mouth-piece.

'7. A facing machine comprising a frame, a hinge pin on which the frame is rockable, a holder securing a mouth-piece on the frame, a feeler pin, a revoluble grinding wheel, the zenith of which coincides with an axis common to the hinge pin center and tip of the feeler pin, a template attached to the frame having a side shaped on a large scale to the desired contour of the mouth-piece lay, the plane of the shaped side crossing said axis, and separate means advancing the feeler pin and grinding wheel in respect to the template and mouthpiece at speeds matching the disparity in size of the. mouth-piece to the shaped template side.

8. A facing machine comprising a frame, a hinge pin on which the frame is rockable, a holder securing a mouth-piece on the frame, a feeler pin, a revoluble grinding wheel, means to ad just the grinding wheel so that its zenith coincides with an axis common to the tip of the feeler pin and center of the hinge pin, means to adjust the holder until the mouth-piece touches the rinding wheel, a template attached tothe frame, the plane of one side crossing the axis, touching the feeler pin and being contoured on a large scale to accord with the shape of the lay to be ground on the mouth-piece, means to advance the grinding wheel along the mouth-piece, and means to advance the feeler pin along the template at a relatively high speed.

9. In a facing machine, a frame having an upstanding collar, a compound rest housed in the collar consisting of a slide horizontally movable in the collar, and a second slide vertically movable in the previously mentioned slide, a bar constituting the terminal of the frame, and a clamp structure embodied in the bar along one side.

JAMES M. KIRCI-IBERG. 

